Car Accident Victim Denied Cost of Marihuana to Treat Pain

After a car accident in British Columbia the cost of care awarded by the court can include  medical marihuana. However, in the following personal injury case there was not enough evidence to make the connection between the car accident injuries and the need to smoke pot(2015 BCSC 57). This case also gives an excellent checklist for…

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Auto Injury Claim Dismissed due to Lack of Care

The Court of Appeal has upheld the dismissal of this personal injury lawsuit as the claimant entered the intersection imprudently without care and attention and at a time when the  other vehicle constituted a threat of collision (Jones v. Treloar, 2014 BCCA 492). The claimant was driving his motorcycle at Georgia Street and  Broughton Street in Vancouver…

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ICBC Doctor Examinations and the Requirement to Attend

ICBC  Medical Examinations Medical assessments and examinations conducted for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, ICBC, will have profound implications on any personal injury claim. Here are some important requirements that must be in place before an injury claimant must attend at an ICBC doctor: 1. Being an ICBC Insured Being insured with ICBC is defined…

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What to do after a Car Accident a Checklist for the Injured

First Steps After an Auto Accident If you are at the accident scene: Move away from traffic; Make sure the police and paramedics have been called; Take photographs and video at the scene before the vehicles are moved; Obtain witness names and contact information- don’t talk to witnesses about how the accident occurred; Record details…

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Maximum Amounts For ICBC Injury Claims

Part of my job as a personal injury lawyer often is to help claimants understand how much money they are entitled to receive from ICBC after a car accident injury.  The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia is a Province wide government created insurance company responsible for compensated victims of personal injury on behalf of their…

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$130,000 Pain and Suffering for PTSD

In this post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) personal injury case the Claimant was driving along Como Lake Road in Coquitlam  when a van hit into the side of his vehicle. The other driver admitted liability, but disputed that the car accident induced PTSD in the claimant (Kim v. Khaw,2014 BCSC 2221). In many ICBC injury claims the insurance…

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ICBC and the New Duty of Honesty in Contractual Performance

After a car accident the injured expect ICBC to act honestly when administrating accident insurance benefits under the universal auto insurance coverage. However the law in Canada  has never imposed a duty on the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia to perform the terms of the contract of insurance honestly, until now. In the ground breaking…

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Important Tips when Reporting a Car Accident in BC: Online and On Time

In British Columbia reporting a motor vehicle accident is different than anywhere else in Canada. The Insurance Corporation of BC, ICBC, is the only insurance company in the Province that is permitted, upon notice, to provide accident benefits to people injured in motor vehicle accidents. As a personal injury lawyer in Vancouver since 1995 my…

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$35,000 for Pain and Suffering Despite Prior Pain Condition

This personal injury claimant was found to have exaggerated the extent of her car accident related symptoms and failed to distinguish between her accident-related injuries and the effect on her life by her prior chronic neck and back pain (Ahmadi v. West, 2014 BCSC 2050). The ICBC injury claimant was injured in a motor vehicle accident…

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Interest on Personal Injury Claim Loans Must be Foreseeable

This current law review relates to a motor vehicle accident injury case in which the claimant sought to recover the interest she was required to pay on advance settlement loans after being injured (Davidge v. Fairholm,2014 BCSC 1948). These loans were advanced to her by her lawyers to help her pay for out of pocket expenses not…

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